As a unit, I will recommend buying this game. I also bought the game during the last winter sale, so I didn't spend the full $50 to buy it. But, if you haven't played it, I think $50 for 2 games is reasonable.

What I don't like: launching the game starts a "launcher" that you can then start Lunar 1 or 2 from, so the opening and closing of the games are a bit clunky. However, once you get the game started, it seems to work just fine.

Aside from those points, I'll break out my reviews by game:

Lunar: Silver Star Story

I have never played Lunar before. I started the Remaster Collection with Lunar: Silver Star Story (1st game). I like the story, I like the music, I like the cut scenes, I like the combat, and I like the classic JRPG elements like talking to people in town to figure out where to go. There are definitely some influences from other beloved JRPGs that you'll pick up on, especially Chrono Trigger even if they are just homages. For instance, the overworld map looks very similar to CT and you'll also come across a magical floating city. These are relatively minor but I think they are clear reflections.

Also, the menu takes some getting used to but being different doesn't automatically mean bad.

Since I never played these at original release, I don't know how much was added or changed, but the auto battle functions are pretty good too. You can optimize it by filtering abilities your characters use or don't.

Having said that, Lunar 1 only took me ~14 hours to complete; and, I got most of the Lunar 1 achievements so you are probably looking at ~25-30 hours for a 100% run.

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue

This sequel takes place 1000 years after SSS. It's a considerable step down in multiple ways.

First, the AI is considerably worse than in SSS so it's easier/better in combat to control every action, which slows down the fights. Second, there are many more monsters on the map between you and your goal than in SSS so you'll end up fighting more with slower fights.

Early in the game, you fight mobs way harder for the early game of SSS. I got a game over 3x on the first tutorial map and about 15 times in the first hour of game play. You'll soon go through a desert that has beetles that both double hit and poison before you even have a way to remove poison. I almost turned the game off and deleted, but I'm a masochist so continued playing.

The menu, specifically tied to equipment, is a bit easier to navigate than in SSS. This was a small nod in the right direction. As you level, some of your spells evolve or adapt and this is a neat mechanic that could have been taken further.

The music feels more like DQ than the prior game, which isn't bad but you can definitely feel where the influences have shifted from CT to a more 'hard core' jrpg.

From a story perspective, it's not as clean cut or as good as SSS. The story isn't bad, but it's not as straight forward or easy to follow; the character development is average at best.

The anime cutscenes are well done, as are some cool 2d animations too (the push/roll from the wagons by Ronfar and Hiro at the carnival). The introductions of a core party member Lemina and a core bad guy Ghaleon were both weak parts of the story. Ronfar, one of the first party members, is a generally interesting character. But, and I'm playing in English, they turned his combat voice parts into an ongoing Austin Power meme.

My review of Lunar 2 is much longer than 1 because there are so many things I don't like about it in comparison. Lunar 2 is good, but it's definitely not as strong as Lunar 1. If it had not been included in the Remastered Collection, I probably would have given it a thumbs down.

As a unit, I will recommend buying this game. I also bought the game during the last winter sale, so I didn't spend the full $50 to buy it. But, if you haven't played it, I think $50 for 2 games is reasonable. What I don't like: launching the game starts a "launcher" that you can then start Lunar 1 or 2 from, so the opening and closing of the games are a bit clunky. However, once you get the game started, it seems to work just fine. Aside from those points, I'll break out my reviews by game: [b]Lunar: Silver Star Story[/b] I have never played Lunar before. I started the Remaster Collection with Lunar: Silver Star Story (1st game). I like the story, I like the music, I like the cut scenes, I like the combat, and I like the classic JRPG elements like talking to people in town to figure out where to go. There are definitely some influences from other beloved JRPGs that you'll pick up on, especially Chrono Trigger even if they are just homages. For instance, the overworld map looks very similar to CT and you'll also [spoiler]come across a magical floating city.[/spoiler] These are relatively minor but I think they are clear reflections. Also, the menu takes some getting used to but being different doesn't automatically mean bad. Since I never played these at original release, I don't know how much was added or changed, but the auto battle functions are pretty good too. You can optimize it by filtering abilities your characters use or don't. Having said that, Lunar 1 only took me ~14 hours to complete; and, I got most of the Lunar 1 achievements so you are probably looking at ~25-30 hours for a 100% run. [b]Lunar 2: Eternal Blue[/b] This sequel takes place 1000 years after SSS. It's a considerable step down in multiple ways. First, the AI is considerably worse than in SSS so it's easier/better in combat to control every action, which slows down the fights. Second, there are many more monsters on the map between you and your goal than in SSS so you'll end up fighting more with slower fights. Early in the game, you fight mobs way harder for the early game of SSS. I got a game over 3x on the first tutorial map and about 15 times in the first hour of game play. You'll soon go through a desert that has beetles that both double hit and poison before you even have a way to remove poison. I almost turned the game off and deleted, but I'm a masochist so continued playing. The menu, specifically tied to equipment, is a bit easier to navigate than in SSS. This was a small nod in the right direction. As you level, some of your spells evolve or adapt and this is a neat mechanic that could have been taken further. The music feels more like DQ than the prior game, which isn't bad but you can definitely feel where the influences have shifted from CT to a more 'hard core' jrpg. From a story perspective, it's not as clean cut or as good as SSS. The story isn't bad, but it's not as straight forward or easy to follow; the character development is average at best. The anime cutscenes are well done, as are some cool 2d animations too [spoiler](the push/roll from the wagons by Ronfar and Hiro at the carnival).[/spoiler] The introductions of a core party member [spoiler] Lemina [/spoiler] and a core bad guy [spoiler] Ghaleon [/spoiler] were both weak parts of the story. Ronfar, one of the first party members, is a generally interesting character. But, and I'm playing in English, they turned his combat voice parts into an ongoing Austin Power meme. My review of Lunar 2 is much longer than 1 because there are so many things I don't like about it in comparison. Lunar 2 is good, but it's definitely not as strong as Lunar 1. If it had not been included in the Remastered Collection, I probably would have given it a thumbs down.